Orthopedists & Sports Medicine located in Daly City, Menlo Park and Los Gatos, CA
Following the exercise program recommended by your physician or physical therapist will greatly aid your recovery and return to full activity. Here are described some common exercises that your physician or therapist may recommend.
Walking: Early walking, as directed by your physician, is important to recovery from many injuries. Your physician will tell you how much weight to place on the affected foot and whether to walk with crutches.
Ankle Pumps: Point your toe, then flex your toe. Perform this action continuously for 2-3 minutes.
Towel Curls: Put a towel on the floor in front of you and use your toes to curl it towards you. Repeat in sets of 5.
Toe Curls: While standing, curl the toes of one foot under.
Toe Raises: Stand on the affected foot and point the toe. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat in sets of 10.
Big Toe Pulls: Place a rubber band between your big toes and use the toes to stretch the rubber band. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat in sets of 10.
Toe Pulls and Toe Squeezes: Place a rubber band around your toes for toe pulls and place corks or similar flexible objects between your toes for toe squeezes. Expand or contract your toes as appropriate, hold for 5 seconds, and repeat in sets of 10.
Return to activity: You may commence normal activity as directed by your physician or physical therapist. In general, you should first be able to walk comfortably, then run, then begin other athletic activity.
A claw toe should be evaluated by a doctor. Certain neurological disorders that can weaken your foot muscles need to be ruled out. Trauma and inflammation can also cause claw toe deformity.
In the early stages, before the claw toe fixed and hardened, it helps to:
Wear shoes with soft and roomy toe boxes.
Avoid high heels.
Strengthen toe muscles with stretching and exercises such as picking up marbles with the toes.
Stretch the upper part of the shoe to help accommodate a fixed claw toe.
Wear soft pads in the shoe over the corns or calluses.If these treatments do not help, surgical correction may be necessary with a goal of realigning the toe.
Procedures may include:
Cutting, lengthening, or repositioning tendons, or shortening the bone of the phalanx (a bone in your toe).
Insertion of a steel pin to fix the corrected position of the toe.